Mayra Escobedo
An Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker spoke to students in Business 3200 at Pierce College today.
Adam Hyman, whose credit includes work for PBS and the History Channel, co-produced the Oscar nominated film “Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience.”
Hyman is the last speaker of the Media Arts speaker series.
The Associated Students Organization funded the series.
Hyman spoke to students about the different types of documentary films, which are educational, historical, direct cinema, observational, activist, music and experimental.
Hyman also spoke to students about the importance of doing research on their subject matter, as an interviewee may give more information if the interviewer is familiar with the topic.
He said that it is especially crucial to do research in order to make sure that the person they are interviewing speaks about the important points of the subject.
The filmmaker also explained that it helped “to play dumb when interviewing people, to get the person to say things in a way that the general audience will understand.”
Another reason Hyman said that doing research is important is because you don’t want to talk to someone and ask dumb questions.
He said it was like “talking to a documentary filmmaker and asking them what a documentary film is.”
Hyman also told students that it is important to respect the stories, history and space of the people that they are interviewing because they are being generous by letting interviewers talk to them.
Hyman played the first 20 minutes of “Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience” and then spoke to students about the different modes of storytelling that were used. The modes were reenactment, informational titles and direct address.
The documentary is about the experiences of troops in Iraq. It is a compilation of pieces of writing from troops as well as interviews with American authors who are veterans.
Hyman is currently working on a film about the history of DC Comics.
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Adam Hyman, a documentary producer, speaks in Business 3200 today. Hyman was the final speaker in the Media Arts Department’s speaker series. (Victor Stephen Kamont / Roundup)